Travesty In Honduras

There were so many ways to get this right, and one clear to way to completely blow it. The Obama administration chose to blow it, and to blow it big, by embracing an imbalanced dictator-wannabe whose efforts are supported by the worst offenders of representative democracy and individual freedom in the region:

Zelaya prodly shows off his tinfoil curtains to US Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon

The interim leader of Honduras says he is ready to sign a pact to end its crisis which could include the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Roberto Micheletti said the agreement would create a power-sharing government and require both sides to recognise the result of November’s presidential poll.

Mr Zelaya said the deal, which requires the approval of the Supreme Court and Congress, would be signed on Friday.
…
The opponents had earlier been told by US Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon that they had to reach an accord in order to ensure international support for the election on 29 November.

Afterwards, Mr Micheletti announced that a power-sharing deal had been reached that included a “significant concession”.

“I have authorised my negotiating team to sign a deal that marks the beginning of the end of the country’s political situation,” the interim leader told a news conference.

“With regard to the most contentious subject in the deal, the possible restitution of Zelaya to the presidency” would be included, he said.

Mr Zelaya described the accord as a “triumph for Honduran democracy”, and said he was “optimistic” of returning to power.

Fausta calls the above analysis “tactful” and translates the local press reaction as “Micheletti caves under US pressure and agrees to Zelaya’s return” and lists the following terms of the deal:

1. The creation of a reconciliation government.
2. Rejection of political amnesty.
3. Recognition of the November 29 elections.
4. Transferring control of the Armed Forces from the Executive to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
5. Creating a verification commission to enforce compliance with the agreement.
6. Creating a truth commission to investigate the events before, during and after June 28, the date of Zelaya’s removal.
7. Requesting that the international community end all sanctions against Honduras and that they send in observers to the presidential election.
8. Supporting the proposal for a vote of the National Congress with the approval of the Supreme Court of Justice to reinstate all the Executive Power prior to June 28, that is, restoring Zelaya to power.

Although Zelaya’s restoration is largely symbolic (e.g. while he is returned to his office, the election in a few weeks will still occur, and the Supreme Court Electoral Tribunal [Thanks, La Gringa – ed.] now has power over the military instead of the President), the very fact that he is allowed to re-enter Honduras without being immediately arrested, much less that he will be able to call himself President once again, is perhaps the greatest shame of Barack Obama’s young presidency. Without Washington’s bullying of the duly constituted authorities in Honduras, the country would have been held up as an example of independent democracy done right, making a definable break with the banana republics of the past. Instead, the US entered the fray on the side of a criminal Chavista and used our considerable power to retard Honduras’ institutional growth.

There have been times in America’s past where the decision to throw our lot in with certain regimes was questionable at best. In the world of realpolitik, however, it is sometimes necessary to chose the least bad to defend against the infinitely worse. Much of our assistance and meddling in South and Central America, aimed at rebuffing the spread of communism, can be chalked up to that realpolitik. Yet never have we sided against the rule of law in order to defend the wishes of dictators. That is, until now.

Honduras will emerge from this escapade with its dignity and political institutions intact. Unfortunately, that will be despite our best efforts, not because of them.

Wow. Do you mean that here is just one example of the massive fugg-ups created by The Clown™ and His Merry Gang of Doofi?

Shock me not. What next – telling North Korea that they can keep their NoDong missiles aimed at South Korea? Iran being told that they can have that nuclear weapon to destroy Israel with? The possibilities are endless for this gang of sh!theads!

Excellent article. I have just one correction. The Electoral Tribunal, not the Supreme Court, is in charge of the military until the election results are announced, expected to be Nov. 30. This is standard procedure and is in accordance with the Honduran constitution. It is primarily because the military has the logistics to distribute and maintain the security of the ballots.

(with apologies docjim)
So now we have 15 —
While continuing to put off the call to the cockroach exterminator, take up the cause of your friend a couple of streets over who was kicked out of the house with nothing but a pair of socks and a toaster oven after he cheated on his wife. Keep throwing eggs at her windows until she agrees to ignore the infidelity clause in the pre-nup and take him back in.

After, of course, deriding ALL the previous owners of your house for their intolerable butting into everybody else’s business and their arrogant presumption to run the neighborhood (like when the previous owner tipped off the cops about the crack house two streets over and they staged that no-knock raid that scared the sh*t out of everybody else on the street).

Too true. Where are the cries (and signs and marches and giant paper mache heads) denouncing ‘vile US imperialism’ now, lefties?
And I just borrowed your analogy for a bit. It was too much the mot juste to pass up.

If the Hondurians want to keep their liberty here is what they should do, (1) sign anything, promise anything, then (2) when that sonofabitch gets off the plane spray him and everyone with him with machine gun fire. then (3) say sorry, it went off in our hand didn’t it?

Better to face the temporary ire of the rest of the world than play around with would be dictators.

Good article. Glad you picked up Honduras again. I thought we’d been forgotten. Obviously, the US and World Pro-Socialist position have put us in difficult circumstances. Now, they’ve declared victory. Hopefully, they’ll back off and let us alone.
From Tegucigalpa

Despite the frequency of articles, Honduras will never be forgotten around here. The “victory” declared will not be fondly remembered either. Fortunately for you, however, I think the damage done was mostly on our side, and you all look to emerge from this ordeal better off. I wish I could say the same for America. It will take some time to repair this damage.

Wow…why do we expect democracy in a country where corruption is a way of life..Zelaya is a second rate Ortega and third rate Chavez..tell me who knows who is running November 29th? The landed aristocracy whether left or right went to school together..so who wins? Not those who are poor .

Lhotze the way you change things is by voting. If you feel so strongly about the poor, start your campaign and run for office. But beware, going against the constitutional mandate of term limits and you will suffer the same fate as citizen mel.
Zelaya lied cheated and stole his way to power on his own admission and once in office holds the record of being the absolute worst president Honduras ever had to endure. The man is a third rate buffoon and cared for absolutely no one else other than himself and his corrupt quest for self aggrandizement and power. You think the poor ever came into his thought process, yes you are right but for the wrong reason. He used them for his own selfish purposes. Viva Honduras and the elections.

Corruption seems fundamental for all politicians. Everywhere. The real solution in Honduras, and everywhere is for better empowerment of the people, and less government. Real freedom and liberty are the keys.

zelaya not only violated the tenets of the Honduran constitution, he committed a crime in attempting to “cook the books” (with chavez’ help) to succeed in his false mandate.
And of course, obama backed the leftist crook. It’s the Chicago way.
Every “american” who voted for obama and continues to apologize for him should be ashamed of themselves. And when their children ultimately are forced to do the penance, as they most certainly will, it will not be Bush’s fault.